Understanding Motion: Even Newton and Berkeley Physics Professors Have Had Trouble

Some blog readers may be interested in:

Hake, R.R. 2008. "Understanding Motion: Even Newton and Berkeley Physics Professors Have Had Trouble," online at http://tinyurl.com/5lk3x2 . Post of 16 October to AP-Physics, Phys-L, and PhysLrnR.

ABSTRACT: John Mallinckrodt (2008), in a recent PhysLrnR* post called attention to his 2002 Phys-L post "Re: Kinematics First," in which he wrote: "Newton himself didn't understand acceleration." In addition: (a) Steinberg, Brown, & Clement (1990) have shown that Newton encountered conceptual difficulties which were difficult for him to overcome before he wrote the Principia, and (b) Reif (1995) reported that Berkeley physics professors have had trouble with the concept of acceleration.

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* PhysLrnR is a Physics Learning Research discussion list with archives at http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/physlrnr.html . To access the archives one needs to subscribe, but that takes only a few minutes by clicking on the aforementioned URL and then clicking on "Join or leave the list (or change settings)." If you're busy, then subscribe using the "NOMAIL" option under "Miscellaneous."  Then, as a subscriber, you may access the archives and/or post messages at any time, while receiving NO MAIL from the list! The powerful PhysLrnR search engine at http://listserv.boisestate/edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=physlrnr&X=-  allows searches by subject, keyword, author, date, or any combination of those.

Over Sixty Education Blogs

Some blog readers may be interested in:

Hake, R.R. 2008. "Over Sixty Education Blogs," AERA-L post of 27 November 2008' online on the OPEN AERA-L archives at http://tinyurl.com/6c8ttj .

The ABSTRACT reads (slightly edited): The present post list over sixty education blogs, an expansion and correction of earlier posts "Thirty-two Education Blogs" (an earlier entry in this blog) and "Over Fifty Education Blogs" (transmitted to AERA-L with OPEN archives at http://listserv.aera.net/archives/area-l.html .  I have also indicated over 25 general references to internet usage and blogging. But do blogs and blog lists contribute positively to the dissemination of useful information? Responding to "Thirty-two Education Blogs," Anita Pincas of the University of London complained that few people have time to examine 32 blogs, that keyword searches are not adequate for "finding out just what we need," and that "semantic web documents may help." Problems in finding out just what we need have recently been addressed by physicist Michael Nielsen, who argues that the internet offers us the first major opportunity to create: (a) a collective long-term working memory such as the physics preprint arXiv http://arxiv.org  to replace the antiquated journal system, and (b) a collective short-term working memory for the rapid collaborative development of ideas.  Are blogs and discussion lists harbingers of the latter? 

The abstract only was transmitted to about 30 academic discussion lists with a potential readership of about 17,000. Doubtless a huge spike will occur in the number of people who follow the over 60 blogs referenced in my post  ; - )

The Socratic Method

Some blog followers may be interested in:

Hake, R.R. 2007. "The Socratic Method of the Historical Socrates, Plato's Socrates, and the Law School Socrates," online at http://tinyurl.com/60d097 . Post of 21 June to AERA-J, AERA-L, AP-Physics, AP-Biology, ASSESS, Biopi-L, Biolab (rejected), Chemed-L, EdResMeth, EvalTalk, Phys-L, PhysLrnR, POD, STLHE-L, and TIPS. 

ABSTRACT: The "Socratic Method" means different things to different people. I discuss three interpretations: the "Socratic Method" of (a) the historical Socrates as advocated by the late Arnold Arons, (b) Plato as illustrated in the Meno, and (c) most law schools. Although the Socratic Method of the historical Socrates has been demonstrated to be relatively effective in enhancing students' understanding of the conceptually difficult Newtonian mechanics, it is not a panacea, but is most useful for finding out what and how students are thinking, guiding them to construct their own understanding of difficult concepts, and conveying fruitful approaches and reasoning skills. 

Should We Measure Change? Yes!

Some blog followers (blogees?) may be interested in:

Hake, R.R. 2008. "Should We Measure Change? Yes!" online at 

http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake/MeasChangeS.pdf   (2.5 MB) or as reference 43 at 

http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake .   To appear as a chapter in Evaluation of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education [Hake, in preparation].

ABSTRACT: Formative pre/post testing is being successfully employed to improve the effectiveness of courses in undergraduate astronomy, biology, chemistry, economics, engineering, geoscience, mathematics, and physics.  But such testing is still anathema to many members of the psychology-education-psychometric (PEP) community. I argue that this irrational bias impedes a much needed enhancement of student learning in higher education. I then review the development of diagnostic multiple-choice tests of higher-level learning; normalized gain and ceiling effects; the documented two-sigma superiority of "interactive engagement" over traditional passive-student pedagogy in the conceptually difficult subject of Newtonian mechanics; the probable neuronal basis for such superiority; education's lack of a "community map"; higher education's resistance to change and its related failure to improve the public schools; and, finally, why we should be concerned with student learning.

Thirty-two Education Blogs

Some blog readers may be interested in:

Hake, R.R. 2008.  "Thirty-two Education Blogs," post of  7 November 2008; online on the OPEN! 

AERA-L archives at  http://tinyurl.com/6leyj6 .

The ABSTRACT reads: "In posts on PhysLrnR and the Learning Sciences and Education Technology Group, Doug Holton listed 12 examples of people who maintain blogs of possible interest to education researchers. In this post I list expanded versions of the Holton-referenced blogs and give information on 20 others to yield a list of 32 education blogs that provide a window into the vast educational blogosphere. 

The abstract only was transmitted to about 30 academic discussion lists with a potential readership of about 17,000. Doubtless a huge spike will occur in the number of people who follow the 32 blogs referenced in my post  ; - )   .

Data Demonstrating the Benefit of Reform Pedagogy in STEM Disciplines

Some readers might be interested in:

Hake, R.R. 2008. "START WITH THE DATA: Over Eighty Annotated and Hot-linked References to Sources Containing or Alluding to Data Demonstrating the Benefit of Reform Pedagogy in STEM Disciplines," post of 10 October; online on the OPEN! AERA-L archives at  http://tinyurl.com/4z3qlt .  [Here STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.]

Guide to Discussion Lists

Some readers may be interested in:

Hake, R.R. 2008. "Over Sixty Academic Discussion Lists: List Addresses and URL's for Archives and Search Engines," online at  http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake/ADL-L.pdf  , or as ref. 49 at 

http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake/  . See the ADDENDUM for a critique of academic discussion lists.

Gender Issues in Science/Math Education (GISME)

Some readers might be interested in "Gender Issues in Science/Math Education (GISME) [Hake & Mallow (2008)].  (Please scroll down to REFERENCES, find "Hake & Mallow (2008) and click on the indicated URL.)

REFERENCES

Hake, R.R. & J.V. Mallow. 2008. "Gender Issues in Science/Math Education (GISME): Over 700 Annotated References and 1000 URL's:

Part 1 - All References in Alphabetical Order; and

Part 2 - Some References in Subject Order;

all online as ref. 55 at  http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake/

Part 2 subjects are:

a. Affirmative Action;

b. Constructivism: Educational and Social;

c. Drivers  of Educational Reform and Gender Equity: Economic Competitiveness and 

      Preservation of Life on Planet Earth;

d. Education and the Brain;

e. Gender and Spatial Visualization;

f. Harvard President Summers' Speculation on Innate Gender Differences in 

      Science and Math Ability; 

g. Hollywood Actress Danica McKellar's Book "Math Doesn't Suck";

h. Interactive Engagement;

i. International Comparisons;

j. Introductory Physics "Curriculum S" (for Synthesis);

k. Is There a Female Science? - Pro & Con;

l. Schools Shortchange Girls (or is it Boys?)

m. Sex Differences in Mathematical Ability: Fact or Artifact?;

n. Status of Women at MIT.  

Why a Hake'sEdStuff Blog?

I have received several requests from harried discussion list subscribers to move my curmudgeonly comments on education reform to a blog where my commentary can be more easily accessed or (more usually) ignored.

Richard Hake, Emeritus Professor of Physics, Indiana University

Honorary Member, Curmudgeon Lodge of Deventer, The Netherlands

http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake/

http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~sdi/

http://HakesEdStuff.blogspot.com/